Some 10,000 tonnes of rice donated by the Republic of Korea were handed to 10 storm-hit central and Central Highland provinces during an event in Dai Loc district, the central province of Quang Nam on March 21.

The hand-over event was attended by Korean Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Jong-Hoon and representatives from Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The rice, worth more than 393 billion VND (17.2 million USD), was provided by the RoK government via the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) to localities that suffered severe damages from Typhoon Damrey in 2017.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang said despite Vietnam’s continued relief efforts, affected people in remote areas face many difficulties. The ministry will ensure the appropriate and transparent distribution of the relief.

In early November 2017, Typhoon Damrey swept through Vietnam’s south central region, leaving 123 people dead or missing and 342 others injured and causing about 1 billion USD in economic losses. It was one of the worst storms to strike the region in years.

On January 30, 2018, Vietnam also received more than 166 million LAK, or about 20,000 USD, from Laos to support Typhoon Damrey’s victims. - Dtinews.vn